United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Safety Net Hospital Pharmacy Access Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to exclude inpatient prices charged to certain high-volume disproportionate share hospital (DSH) safety net providers from the Medicaid "best price" rule. (Thus allows such providers to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to receive deeper discounts on the prices of inpatient drugs. Currently such entities are able to receive discounts only on outpatient drugs because of a specified Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services interpretation of the "best price" exemption under the Medicaid drug rebate program.) Applies to any such drug purchased for inpatient use certain auditing and recordkeeping requirements under the Public Health Service Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 - Prohibits the importation into the United States of any article that is a product of Burma (Myanmar) until the President determines and certifies to Congress that Burma has taken certain democratic and counternarcotics actions. Authorizes the President to waive such requirements. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to direct any U.S. financial institution holding funds of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) of Burma or the assets of individuals who hold senior positions in the SPDC or its political arm, the Union Solidarity Development Association, to report those assets to the Office of Foreign Assets Control and take such action as may be necessary to secure them. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. executive director to each appropriate international financial institution to oppose any extension of a loan or financial or technical assistance to Burma until the requirements of this Act are met. Authorizes the President to deny visas and entry into the United States to the former and present leadership of the SPDC or the Union Solidarity Development Association. Urges the Secretary of State to use all appropriate fora, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum and Asian Nations Regional Forum, to encourage other states to restrict financial resources to the SPDC and Burmese companies while offering support to Burma's democratic movement, including the National League for Democracy and Burma's ethnic groups. Authorizes the President to assist Burmese democracy activists dedicated to nonviolent opposition to the regime in their efforts to promote freedom, democracy, and human rights in Burma.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2003
Working Taxpayer Fairness Restoration Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the refundability of the child tax credit, to accelerate the increase to the 15 percent rate. Limits, to fair market value immediately following a transaction, the importation of net built-in loss by a corporation. Prohibits an allocation of any decrease in the adjusted basis of partnership property to stock in a corporation which is a partner in the partnership. Repeals part V (Financial Asset Securitization Investment Trusts) of subchapter M (Regulated Investment Companies and Real Estate Investment Trusts). Expands the definition of a disqualified debt instrument with respect to deduction disallowance on certain debt instruments of corporations. Expands the authority to disallow deductions, credits, or other allowances under provisions disallowing such benefits due to acquisitions made to evade or avoid income tax. Amends provisions affecting passive foreign investment companies to state that the term "qualified portion" (of a shareholder's holding period) does not include any period if there is only a remote likelihood of an inclusion in gross income under subpart F (Controlled Foreign Income). Adds to the definition of the term "real estate investment trust" by stating that such term includes a corporation, trust, or association which is not a controlled entity. Directs the Secretary to establish a program requiring the payment of user fees, until September 30, 2013, for: (1) requests to the Internal Revenue Service for ruling letters, opinion letters, and determination letters; and (2) other similar requests.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2003
National Museum of African American History and Culture Act - (Sec. 4) Establishes within the Smithsonian Institution (SI) the National Museum of African American History and Culture, to be operated as a center for scholarship and a location for museum training, public education, exhibits, and collection and study of items and materials relating to the life, art, history, and culture of African Americans that encompass the period of slavery, the era of reconstruction, the Harlem renaissance, the civil rights movement, and other periods of the African American diaspora. (Sec. 5) Establishes the National Museum of African American History and Culture Council to: (1) advise and assist the SI Board of Regents on Museum planning, design, construction, operation, and budgets; and (2) have responsibility and authority with respect to the Museum's collections and work, subject to the Board of Regents' general policies. (Sec. 6) Requires the Secretary of SI to appoint a Director to manage the Museum. (Sec. 7) Establishes the Office of Education and Liaison Programs within the Museum to work with educational institutions and museums throughout the Nation. Requires the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services to establish specified grant, scholarship, internship, and fellowship programs relating to African American museums. (Sec. 8) Directs the Board of Regents to select the Museum's site from one of four specified sites on or adjacent to the national mall. Requires the Board of Regents to pay costs of planning, design, and construction of the Museum on the chosen site as follows: 50 percent from Federal funds and 50 percent from non-Federal sources. (Sec. 9) Provides for Congressional Budget Act compliance by declaring that authority under this Act to enter into contracts or to make payments shall be effective in any fiscal year only to the extent provided in advance in an appropriations Act, except that mounts made available under section 11 of this Act shall remain available until expended. (Sec. 10) Directs the Council and the Board of Regents, in carrying out their duties under this Act, to consider the reports and plans submitted by the National Museum of African American History and Culture Plan for Action Presidential Commission under the National Museum of African American History and Culture Plan for Action Presidential Commission Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-106). (Sec. 11) Authorizes appropriations in a specified amount for FY 2004, and in necessary amounts for subsequent fiscal years.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2003
Children's Dental Health Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to States to improve dental services to children enrolled in Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary, acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish a grant program to expand the availability of primary dental care services in medically underserved areas. Authorizes retention bonuses for eligible dental officers of the Indian Health Service. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of HRSA and the Director of the Indian Health Service, to establish demonstration projects to increase access to dental services for children in underserved areas. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) an oral health initiative to reduce disparities in oral health; and (2) Chief Dental Officers for Medicaid and SCHIP, HRSA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Requires the Director of the CDC to collect data on dental, craniofacial, and oral health. Requires the Secretary to identify populations at high risk for early childhood caries (tooth decay) and to develop prevention programs. Revises the eligibility requirements for the school-based dental sealant program to include Indian tribes. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the CDC, to award grants to States and Indian tribes to improve their basic capacity to improve the oral health of children and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2003 - Establishes procedures for immigration officers who find an unaccompanied alien child at a U.S. land border or point of entry who is a national or habitual resident of a contiguous country. Establishes that other unaccompanied alien children, including trafficking victims, shall be in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, except that such children who threaten U.S. security or who are charged with or have been convicted of a felony shall be in the care of the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security. Sets forth a family reunification preference order. Prohibits, with an exception for violent children, detention in adult or delinquent children facilities. Directs the Office to develop procedures for detention and prohibited detention practices. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States Government should ensure that it does not repatriate children in its custody into life- and safety-threatening settings. Directs the Secretary of State to include in the annual State Department Country Report on Human Rights an assessment of the degree to which each country protects children from smugglers and traffickers. Directs the Office, with respect to unaccompanied alien children in the custody of the Office or the Department of Homeland Security, to: (1) develop age determination procedures; and (2) provide immigration counsel. Directs the Executive Office for Immigration Review to develop model guidelines for legal representation of children. Authorizes the Office to provide that each unaccompanied child have a guardian ad litem. Requires the Office to implement a pilot program for the appointment of guardians ad litem. Amends special immigrant juvenile provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Expresses congressional commendation of the Immigration and Naturalization Service' s issuance of its "Guidelines for Children's Asylum Claims." Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide immigration officers with related training. Exempts unaccompanied alien children from certain removal and asylum provisions. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to set forth additional responsibilities and authorities of the Office with respect to unaccompanied alien children.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Veterans' Prescription Drug Reform Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to allow pharmacies of the Department of Veterans Affairs to dispose medications pursuant to a valid prescription written by a private practicioner to any veteran who is on a waiting list for a first appointment with the Department for medical services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include associated development costs in the basis of any building which is part of a low-income housing project when calculating the low-income housing credit.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms Reorganization Act - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to establish in the International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce an Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance to assist the Secretary of Commerce in carry out his or her responsibilities with respect to the provision of trade adjustment assistance to firms that have been adversely affected by import competition.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Communities Act of 2003 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to revise the program for trade adjustment assistance for communities negatively impacted by trade. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) establish a Trade Adjustment Assistance for Communities Program at the Department of Commerce; (2) provide for a coordinated Federal response to economic dislocation in communities negatively impacted by trade; and (3) make a determination if a community is negatively impacted by a trade and certify such community for assistance. Allows communities negatively impacted by trade to develop strategic plans for community economic adjustment and diversification. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to communities that devise such strategic plans and to give preference to rural communities. Directs the Secretary to certify certain communities that were negatively impacted by trade on or after January 1, 1998, for adjustment assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Native American Small Business Development Act - Amends the Small Business Act to establish within the Small Business Administration (SBA) the Office of Native American Affairs, headed by an Assistant Administrator, to implement SBA programs for the development of business enterprises by Native Americans (American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians). Requires the Office to assist Native American entrepreneurs to: (1) start, operate, and grow small businesses; (2) develop management and technical skills; (3) seek Federal procurement opportunities; (4) increase Native American employment opportunities; and (5) increase Native American access to capital markets. Requires the SBA to provide financial assistance to tribal governments, tribal colleges, Native Hawaiian organizations, and Alaska Native corporations to create Native American business centers. Requires each business center to conduct five-year projects for business education aid to such entities. Requires each assistance applicant to submit a five-year plan on proposed assistance and training activities. Establishes a four-year pilot program under which the SBA is authorized to award Native American development grants to provide culturally-tailored business development training and related services to Native Americans and Native American small businesses. Establishes a four-year pilot program under which the SBA shall award at least three American Indian Tribal Assistance Center grants to establish joint projects to provide culturally-tailored business development assistance to prospective and current owners of small businesses on or near tribal lands.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Great Lakes Water Quality Indicators and Monitoring Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Great Lakes National Program Office of the Environmental Protection Agency to develop and implement a set of science-based indicators of water quality and related environmental factors in the Great Lakes, including accumulated toxic pollutants. Requires continued monitoring and data collection to help identify emerging problems.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Fishing Quota Act of 2003 - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to require the Regional Fishery Management Councils and the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) or his designee, when developing a limited access system for fisheries to achieve optimum yield, to take into account: (1) the conservation requirements of this Act with respect to fisheries; and (2) the fair and equitable distribution of a public resource. Authorizes the establishment of a fishing quota system in a fishery management plan or amendment prepared by any Regional Fishery Management Council or the Secretary. Specifies fishing quota system: (1) requirements the Councils and Secretary must ensure that any proposal meet; (2) right, tittle, and interest scope and limitations; (3) eligibility requirements; (4) duration; and (5) referendum procedures. Prohibits approval or implementation by the Secretary of any fishery management plan (or amendment) unless it has been approved by more than two-thirds of those voting in a referendum among eligible permit holders. Authorizes the Secretary to approve and implement a program submitted by a Council which reserves up to 25 percent of the fees collected from fisheries for costs related to the management and enforcement of fishing quota programs for issuance of obligations that aid in financing the: (1) purchase of fishing quotas by small vessel fishermen; and (2) first-time purchase of fishing quotas by entry level fisherman. Requires the National Research Council to provide an independent review, every five years, of the effectiveness of fishing quota systems conducted in Federal fisheries. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations which establish requirements for a fishing quota system.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) changes to athletics policies issued under Title IX (of the Education Amendments of 1972) would contradict the spirit and intent of the mandate to provide equal opportunities in athletics; (2) current Title IX athletics policies (as set forth in the regulations issued in 1975) and the Department of Education's 1979 Policy Interpretation (as clarified in the 1996 Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Guidance) should remain unchanged and be enforced vigorously to eliminate the continuing discrimination against women and girls in athletics; and (3) if the Department of Education changes the current Title IX athletics policies, Congress will respond with legislation to restore such policies and preserve the right to equal opportunities in athletics.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2003
Medicare Renal Dialysis Payment Fairness Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for an update in the renal dialysis composite rate.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2003
Medicare Vision Rehabilitation Services Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of outpatient vision rehabilitation services under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2003
National Cancer Act of 2003 - Provides a comprehensive Federal effort relating to treatments for and the prevention of cancer. Amends the Public Health Service Act to fund prevention, detection, and treatment programs of the National Cancer Institute, including translational cancer research (research needed to transform scientific discoveries into approaches and products to treat and cure cancer). Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a research grant program to fund projects that seek to develop cancer treatments that target cancer cells. Addresses issues of cancer care, including: (1) clinical trial participation; (2) workforce needs; (3) cancer survivorship; (4) cancer care guidelines; (5) the supply of researchers; (6) a colorectal cancer screening demonstration program; and (7) an Institute of Medicine study on whether to provide medical coverage under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to certain cancer patients. Directs the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to submit to Congress a plan outlining steps to accelerate the process for reviewing and approving new cancer drugs and treatments. Requires health insurance plans covered by the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to provide: (1) coverage for clinical trials; (2) coverage of cancer screening, including tobacco and nutrition counseling and genetic testing; and (3) patient access to benefit information. Addresses issues of managing physicians and quality of care for cancer patients covered by such plans, including designating a lead managing physician. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to make grants for: (1) model programs to provide services for cancer and chronic diseases to individuals of health disparity populations; and (2) patient navigators for managing such care of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2003
Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish a program of student loan forgiveness for borrowers who agree to remain employed, for at least three years, as public attorneys who are: (1) State or local criminal prosecutors; or (2) State, local, or Federal public defenders in criminal cases. Directs the Secretary of Education to provide such student loan repayment benefits for such public attorneys on a first-come, first-served basis, and subject to the availability of appropriations. Requires priority to be given to borrowers who received repayment benefits for the preceding fiscal year and have completed less than three years of the first required service period. Allows the borrower and the Secretary to enter into an additional agreement, after the required three-year period, for a successive period of service which may be less than three years. Limits the amount paid under such program on behalf of any borrower to $6,000 per calendar year and $40,000 total. Includes public defenders among those eligible under a current HEA program of cancellation of student loans for certain public service.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2003
Children's Express Lane to Health Coverage Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) of the Social Security Act to give States the option of providing that Medicaid or SCHIP financial eligibility requirements are met for children based on their eligibility for nutrition assistance or similar public programs with comparable income standards and methodologies.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2003
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Center Act - Authorizes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc., to construct at or near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site an education center for informing and educating the public about the Memorial. Considers the Center a commemorative work, but waives location and final approval requirements. Requires the center size to be limited to the minimum necessary to: (1) provide for appropriate educational and interpretive functions; (2) prevent interference with or encroachment on the Memorial; and (3) protect open space and visual sightlines on the Mall. Requires the center to be operated and maintained by the Secretary of the Interior.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2003
Taunton, Massachusetts Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating certain historic buildings and areas in the city of Taunton, Massachusetts, as a unit of the National Park System.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2003
Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area Act - Establishes the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Designates the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, Inc., as the Areas' management entity, which shall: (1) submit to the Secretary of the Interior for approval a management plan which includes policies, strategies, and recommendations for conservation, funding, management, development, and interpretation of the Area; and (2) assist local governments, regional planning organizations, and nonprofit organizations in implementing the plan. Prohibits the entity from using Federal funds received under this Act to acquire real property. Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical and financial assistance to the Area and enter into cooperative agreements with the management entity to develop and implement the plan.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2003
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2003 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit health discrimination on the basis of genetic information or services. Defines genetic information as genetic tests of an individual or family member or occurrence of a disease or disorder in family members used to predict risk of disease in asymptomatic or undiagnosed individuals. Defines genetic services as health services provided for genetic education and counseling. Prohibits group health plans or health insurers offering group coverage from using genetic information to impose enrollment restrictions or adjust group premiums. Prohibits requests for genetic testing or results except as necessary for treatment, payment, or health care operations. Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit such discrimination in coverage offered in the individual market. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to issue final regulations, coordinating with the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Labor through an interagency memorandum of understanding. Makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or training program to discriminate against an individual or deprive such individual of employment opportunities because of genetic information. Prohibits the collection of genetic information except where necessary to monitor the effects of toxic substances in the workplace when authorized by the employee, or as required by law. Requires genetic information to be treated as part of an individual's confidential medical record, limiting disclosure to the individual, the family, health researchers, or as required by law or court order. Grants enforcement powers to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2003
Preservation of Localism, Program Diversity, and Competition in Television Broadcast Service Act of 2003 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from permitting any license for a commercial television broadcast station to be granted, transferred, or assigned to any party if such action would result in that party owning, operating, controlling, or having a cognizable interest in stations which have an aggregate national audience reach exceeding 35 percent. Requires any party currently having licenses in excess of such limit to divest as necessary to comply with such limit within one year.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2003
Access to Cancer Therapies Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to extend Medicare coverage to all oral drugs prescribed for use as an anticancer agent for a medically accepted indication.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Men's Health Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services an office to be known as the Office of Men's Health. Requires a report.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) give States the option to expand coverage to certain pregnant women; (2) provide for enhanced matching funds with respect to certain pregnant women if certain conditions are met; (3) pay for such Medicaid expansion costs out of the SSA title XXI (State Child's Health Insurance) (SCHIP) allotment; and (4) no longer require that a newborn child be a member of the mother's household and that the mother remain eligible for Medicaid during the one year period after birth in order for the newborn child to continue to be eligible for Medicaid. Amends SSA title XXI to give certain States the option of providing pregnancy-related assistance for targeted low-income pregnant women in accordance with this Act, which includes: (1) automatic enrollment for children born to women receiving such pregnancy-related assistance; (2) additional allotments for providing coverage of pregnant women; and (3) no cost-sharing for pregnancy-related services. Provides for coordination of SCHIP with the program under SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services). Increases the income eligibility for low-income children under SCHIP. Amends SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to review determinations, made by State agencies in connection with applications for benefits under this title on the basis of blindness or disability, that individuals who have attained 18 years of age are blind or disabled as of a specified onset date.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2003
Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act of 2003 - Amends: (1) the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act to repeal the sunset date on the assault weapons ban (thus leaving in place a ban on the manufacture of 19 types of military style assault weapons); and (2) the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit the importation into the United States of large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
United States Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Act of 2003 - Directs the President to develop a comprehensive, integrated five-year strategy to strengthen the capacity of the United States to be an effective leader of the international campaign against HIV/AIDS and to promote the stabilization or reduction of its global incidence and related morbidity and mortality. Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to provide for the establishment within the Department of State of a Coordinator of U.S. Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS. Establishes an Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally Fund. Authorizes the United States to participate in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Authorizes appropriations for U.S. contributions to the Fund and to specified vaccine initiatives. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to commence efforts with multilateral development institutions to modify the multilateral debt initiative for heavily indebted poor countries presented in the Report of G-7 Finance Ministers on the Cologne Debt Initiative to the Cologne Economic Summit to limit the debt of eligible countries, as specified. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to furnish assistance related to HIV/AIDS and assistance to prevent, treat, and eliminate tuberculosis and malaria. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to expand Department of Defense HIV/AIDS prevention educational activities. Expresses the sense of Congress that U.S. firms operating in countries affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic are in a position to make significant contributions to the U.S. effort through the voluntary adoption of specified principles and practices.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Strengthening Our States Act of 2003, or the SOS Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) provide for full Medicaid coverage of all premium and other cost-sharing expenses incurred with respect to qualified Medicare beneficiaries under the Medicaid program (Medicare cost-sharing); (2) increase the scope of Medicare cost-sharing assistance and the number of low-income Medicare beneficiaries eligible for Medicare cost- sharing assistance for individuals who would be qualified Medicare beneficiaries but for the fact that their income exceeds applicable levels; and (3) provide for a temporary increase in the Medicaid Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP). Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) (SSBG) to make appropriations for additional temporary grants for fiscal relief allotments to States. Amends: (1) SSA title XIX to continue Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotment adjustments under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 and increase the floor for treatment as an extremely low DSH State; and (2) SSA title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance Program) (SCHIP) to increase State access to unspent SCHIP funds. Amends SSA title XIX to: (1) make the Federal government fully responsible for the sums expended for emergency care and services furnished to illegal aliens; (2) increase Federal responsibility for translation services for Medicaid and SCHIP applicants and recipients; (3) increase Federal matching rates for certain services; (4) extend Medicaid coverage under the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program to spouses of participating disabled beneficiaries; and (5) provide for optional coverage of community-based attendant services and supports. Family Opportunity Act of 2003, or the Dylan Lee James Act - Amends SSA title XIX to give States the option of: (1) allowing families of disabled children to purchase Medicaid coverage for such children; and (2) imposing income-related premiums. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to allow a State plan to pay for the cost of home or community-based services equivalent to inpatient psychiatric hospital services for individuals under age 21. Amends: (1) SSA title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) to provide for the development and support of family-to-family health information centers; and (2) SSA title XIX to provide for the restoration of Medicaid eligibility for certain SSI beneficiaries under SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income). Revises requirements to allow uniform coverage of all low-income Americans, facilitate coverage of legal immigrants, and permit specified flexibility in eligibility determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act - Permits the Director of the National Institutes of Health (the "Director" of NIH), acting through the Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, to expand and coordinate the activities of NIH with respect to research on paralysis. Allows the Director to award grants to public or nonprofit entities to fund Christopher Reeve Paralysis Research Consortia for paralysis research. Permits the Director to solicit public input regarding paralysis research programs. Allows the Director, acting through the Director of the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development and the National Center for Rehabilitation Research and in collaboration with other agencies, to expand and coordinate the activities of NIH with respect to research with implications for enhancing daily function for persons with paralysis. Permits the Director to make grants to multicenter networks of clinical sites that will collaborate on rehabilitation intervention protocols. Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to study the unique health challenges associated with paralysis and other physical disabilities to improve the quality of life and long-term health status of individuals with such conditions. Allows the Secretary to undertake direct research and to make grants. Provides for the formation of a national paralysis and physical disability quality of life plan and a hospital-based paralysis registry. Permits the Secretary to award grants to: (1) State and local health and disability agencies, including for the purpose of establishing paralysis registries; and (2) nonprofit private health and disability organizations, including for the purpose of disseminating information to the public. Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) establish within the Department of Veterans Affairs centers for paralysis research, education, and clinical activities; and (2) carry out initiatives, through the award of grants, for quality enhancement of research on paralysis.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to: (1) restrict the application of the windfall elimination requirement to individuals whose combined monthly income from the individual's primary insurance amount under such title and the portion of the monthly periodic payment attributable to noncovered service performed after 1956 exceeds $2,000; and (2) provide for a graduated implementation of such requirement on amounts above such threshold by applying applicable percentages determined according to a specified table.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2003
Women and Children in Conflict Protection Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) develop a strategy for the protection of women and children who are affected by a complex humanitarian emergency (a situation occurring outside the United States and caused by armed conflict, natural disaster, food shortage, or state-sponsored harassment or persecution, which results in a significant number of refugees, internally displaced persons, or other civilians requiring urgent basic humanitarian assistance) (emergency); and (2) designate coordinators to implement such strategy. Requires such coordinators to: (1) maintain and disseminate a database of information on gender-based violence or exploitation of children during an emergency; (2) assist embassies and consular posts in responding to such risks; and (3) establish a gender-based violence or exploitation reporting and monitoring system for U.S. diplomatic missions and consular posts. Prohibits any State Department refugee or migration assistance from being provided to an organization that has failed to adopt a code of conduct regarding the protection of beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance that incorporates six core principles (established herein) against sexual exploitation and abuse as recommended by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. Requests all national, multilateral, and nongovernmental agencies to review and revise their administrative, management, and employment practices in refugee and displaced persons camps. Requires each coordinator to: (1) ensure that U.S.-funded organizations that respond to an emergency have the necessary resources to address the specific health needs of women affected by the emergency; and (2) identify an organization or individual to facilitate the coordination and implementation of such activities. Directs the Secretary to urge the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to work with nongovernmental organizations to design and implement a model whistleblower system under which humanitarian workers, refugees, and internally displaced persons can report instances of gender-based violence or exploitation of children. Requires: (1) the State Department to work with certain entities to ensure that, in situations of long-term displacement, refugees and internally displaced persons are granted work permits and other documentation to enable them to generate legitimate income; and (2) a report from the Secretary on the development of protection initiatives for the prevention of gender-based violence and exploitation of children. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and implement programs to assist communities that have been affected by an emergency and former combatants (women or children affiliated with an armed group); and (2) report on all current programs to assist nations to reconstitute civilian police authority and capability following an emergency. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance to promote the security of, provide equal access to basic services for, and safeguard the human rights and dignity of civilian women and children who are refugees, displaced persons, or inhabitants of areas affected by an emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants to public or nonprofit private entities for the development and operation of not more than eight consortium centers (each such center shall be known as a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Center of Excellence). States that the centers shall conduct multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional research on environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of breast cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Syria Accountability Act of 2003 - Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) Syria should halt support for terrorism, withdraw armed forces from Lebanon, stop develpment of ballistic missiles and biological and chemical weapons, and halt imports and transshipments of Iraqi oil; (2) Lebanon and Syria should enter into bilateral negotiations for peace with Israel; and (3) the United States should continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Lebanon only through private and international organizations until the Government of Lebanon asserts sovereignty over its borders. Declares U.S. policy that Syria: (1) will be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism until it stops supporting terrorism; (2) is in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 520 through its continued occupation of Lebanese territory; and (3) has violated Resolution 661 by purchasing oil from Iraq. Declares that restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty is in the U.S. national interest. Requires the President, unless the President certifies that Syria does not support international terrorist groups or allow them to maintain facilities in Syria, has withdrawn all security personnel from Lebanon, has ceased the development of ballistic missiles and biological and chemical weapons, and is no longer violating Resolution 661, to: (1) prohibit the export to Syria of specified defense articles or services and items on the Commerce Control List; and (2) impose two or more of specified sanctions (including prohibiting U.S. exports to, or U.S. businesses investments or operations in, Syria). Authorizes the President to provide development assistance to Syria and Lebanon if the President: (1) makes that certification; (2) determines that progress has been made toward negotiating peace agreements between Israel, Syria, and Lebanon; and (3) determines that Syria is strictly respecting Lebanon's sovereignty.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Job Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the foreign sales corporation/extraterritorial income (FSC/ETI) exclusion, with an exemption for certain binding contracts in effect before the date of enactment of this Act. Permits a foreign corporation that elected to be treated as a domestic corporation to revoke such election and be treated as a domestic corporation transferring its property to a foreign corporation with no gain recognized on such transfer. Provides: (1) a transitional 2004 through 2008 sliding-scale deduction for an FSC/ETI beneficiary based on the corporation's 2001 FSC/ETI benefit; and (2) special rules for 2003 and for fiscal year taxpayers. Defines "FSC/ETI benefit." Allows a deduction for income attributable to U.S. production activities equal to ten percent of qualified production activities. Provides a 2006 through 2009 phase-in period. Defines "qualified production activities" as: (1) the portion of the modified taxable income attributable to domestic activities; and (2) the domestic/foreign fraction. Sets forth related provisions with respect to: (1) determination of income attributable to domestic production activities; (2) domestic production gross receipts; (3) qualifying production property; (4) domestic/foreign fraction; and (5) special rules.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports Act of 2003 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to mandate State Medicaid plan coverage of community-based attendant services and supports for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals. Outlines provisions for: (1) an enhanced Federal medical assistance percentage for ongoing activities of early coverage States that enhance and promote the use of community-based attendant services and supports; and (2) increased Federal financial participation for certain expenditures incurred by the State for the provision of community-based attendant services and supports. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) award grants to eligible States which have established a Consumer Task Force to assist the State in its development of real choice systems change initiatives; and (2) conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of evaluating service coordination and cost-sharing approaches with respect to the provision of community-based services and supports to non-elderly dually eligible individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins and 500,000 $1 silver coins, which shall be emblematic of the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia (the first permanent English settlement in America). Provides for a $35 per coin surcharge for the $5 dollar coins and $10 per coin for the $1 dollar coins. Directs the Secretary to distribute: (1) 50 percent of the surcharges to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation of Virginia to support programs to promote the understanding of the legacies of Jamestown; and (2) 50 percent to sustain the ongoing mission of preserving Jamestown, to enhance national and international educational programs, to improve infrastructure and archeological research activities, and to conduct other programs to support the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown. States that entities specified for such purposes are the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, the President of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and the Chairman of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Amends the Federal Law Enforcement Pay Reform Act of 1990 to revise the special pay adjustments for (percentage differentials payable to) Federal law enforcement officers in specified consolidated metropolitan statistical areas. Includes Capitol Police as law enforcement officers under such Act. Directs the Office of Personnel Management: (1) to study and report to Congress on the need for, and the potential benefits to be derived from, the establishment of a separate pay, evaluation, and promotion system for Federal law enforcement officers; (2) if it considers it to be appropriate, to implement a demonstration project to determine whether a separate system for such officers would result in improved Federal personnel management; and (3) to submit to Congress its evaluation of the system tested under the demonstration project and recommendations as to whether that system should be continued or extended to other Federal law enforcement officers. Eliminates the limitation on the aggregate of basic pay and premium pay with respect to availability pay for Federal criminal investigators.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Attorney General to provide technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or other assistance in the criminal investigation or prosecution of any crime that: (1) constitutes a crime of violence under Federal law or a felony under State or Indian tribal law; and (2) is motivated by prejudice based on the race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of the victim or is a violation of the hate crime laws of the State or tribe. Directs the Attorney General to give priority for assistance to crimes committed by offenders who have committed crimes in more than one State and to rural jurisdictions that have difficulty covering the extraordinary investigation or prosecution expenses. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to assist State, local, and Indian law enforcement officials with such extraordinary expenses. Directs the Office of Justice Programs to: (1) work closely with funded jurisdictions to ensure that the concerns and needs of all affected parties are addressed; and (2) award grants to State and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles. Prohibits specified offenses involving actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to study and provide sentencing enhancements for adult recruitment of juveniles to commit hate crimes. Amends the Hate Crimes Statistics Act to require the crime data to be collected and published by the Attorney General to include data about crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on gender.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2003
Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2003 - Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions ordinarily incident to such travel relating to: (1) accompanied personal baggage; (2) payment of living expenses and the acquisition of personal-use goods or services; (3) travel arrangements; (4) nonscheduled air, sea, or land voyage transactions, (such provision does not permit the carriage of articles other than accompanied baggage into Cuba or the United States); and (5) normal banking transactions. States that such provision does not: (1) restrict presidential authority in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers; and (2) authorize U.S. importation of personal consumption goods acquired in Cuba.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2003
Renewable Energy Investment Act of 2003 - Requires each retail electric supplier to submit annually to the Secretary of Energy renewable energy credits according to a prescribed annual percentage of the supplier's total amount of kilowatt-hours of nonhydropower electricity sold to consumers during the previous calendar year. Requires each retail electric supplier during a calendar year to generate a specified percentage of nonhydropower electricty by renewable energy sources, escalating from five percent during calendar 2006 through 2009 by five percent increments during subsequent five-year periods up to twenty percent in calendar 2020 and beyond. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to issue, monitor the sale or exchange of, and track renewable energy credits. Authorizes any entity that is issued or has acquired a renewable energy credit to sell or exchange it. Requires the Secretary to sell credits at prices determined by a certain formula. Subjects to a civil penalty a retail electric supplier who does not submit the requisite renewable energy credits. Authorizes the Secretary to distribute receipts from sales to the States in order to promote State renewable energy production and use.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2003
IDEA Full-Funding Act of 2003 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to revise and reauthorize part B programs of education of all children with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for part B for FY 2004 through 2013, and in necessary amounts for FY 2014 and thereafter. (Provides phased-in increases of funding designed to reach a promised 40 percent Federal share of funding by FY 2011.) Makes appropriations in specified amounts for part B for FY 2004 through 2013. Provides an exception to local educational agency (LEA) maintenance of effort requirements under part B. Repeals certain provisions relating to LEA treatment of Federal funds as local funds under part B.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2003
Requests the President to issue a proclamation: (1) designating May 1, 2003, as National Child Care Worthy Wage Day; and (2) calling on people to observe that day by honoring early childhood educators and programs in their communities and by working together to resolve the early childhood educator compensation crisis.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Marine Corps 230th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 one dollar coins which shall be emblematic of the warrior ethos of the United States Marine Corps. Requires all surcharges from the sale of the coins to be paid to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation for construction of the Marine Corps Heritage Center.
![Official portrait of Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000148_200.jpg)